The world is a dark and dangerous place. Especially if you're not a full human. In the land of Ivkar, King Lanius has placed a bounty on the heads of every mystical being. Anyone not pure human is to be brought to him and summarily executed. It is unknown why as the King once had a harmonious relationship with all who lived on his lands.
To make things worse, King Lanius' first son feels cheated of the throne because his sister is older. He feels as the oldest son, he should be Heir and he's willing to do whatever it takes to see it happens.

As the King's family or followers, it's up to you whether you agree with him or not. Will you help non humans or make it your mission to help destroy them?
As a non human what will you do? Will you hide from the increasing number of bounty hunters or fight?
As a bounty hunter what are your views on this? Do you agree or just care about the money? Maybe you just enjoy the hunt?



There are a few main characters up for grabs, but feel free to make some of your own :)

• King Lanius - Squall Ravenhart
• The King's daughter and Heir - Kaylee Knight
• The King's son -
• The King's second son - iDinosaurKid
• Bounty Hunters - Squall Ravenhart, HelloDancer
• Non humans - Squall Ravenhart, HelloDancer, Jyunnishi, Tany
• Others -

Rules

• Obviously follow Mene roleplaying rules.
• No God-modding or perfect characters.
• Please make posts longer than a couple of lines. Description is good.
• Make sure you can post at least once a week, if you can't for some reason try and let me know.
• You can have up to two characters.
• Any questions, just ask. I don't bite.
• And don't forget to have fun! :D

PM me your profiles.

Profile Skeleton

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race:
Personality:
Description (written only):
Other Info:

---------- Post added 07-30-2012 at 10:39 PM ----------

Profile Skeleton

Username: Squall Ravenhart

Name: King Lanius

Age: 57

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Personality: A strong minded man, Lanius keeps a iron grip on the everyday happenings of his kingdom. He comes off as grim and unyielding, yet he has a soft spot for very young children. Lanius unfortunately has a raging temper, he can be quick to anger and it burns white hot. He is a good listener and a firm believer in justice and the law. He hates non humans with a fierce passion and won't rest until every last one has been exterminated.

Description (written only): His hair is now mostly grey and white, with some of the original red colour shot through. He stands straight and tall, taller than most men, with only a few lines accenting a stern face. His eyes are a pale, watery blue. His mouth is too thin for anyone to call him handsome. He wears a thigh length royal blue coat with long silver embroidered sleeves over well made grey trousers. Calf length leather boots and his gold circlet crown complete the ensemble.

Other Info: Lanius is proficient in many forms of weaponry, but prefers to read in the library.

---------- Post added 07-30-2012 at 10:57 PM ----------

Profile Skeleton

Username: Squall Ravenhart

Name: Ardu

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Race: Human (Bounty Hunter)

Personality: Often described as 'the strong, silent type' Ardu is a man of few words. He firmly believes in doing the job, no questions asked and doesn't appear to have a moral bone in his body. He tends to have acquaintances, rather than friends, and can come across as moody. He rarely smiles and never laughs. Ardu is terrified of water and cannot swim.

Description (written only): A tall man, with dark brown skin and brown, almost black eyes which glitter coldly. His hair is also black and kept cropped short. His nose has very obviously been broken at least twice. A scar down his left cheek pulls the corner of his mouth into an almost-smile. Ardu wears a large brimmed hat pulled low over his eyes, a bulky leather coat and black trousers. Long black boots cover his feet and black gloves his hands. A sheathe for knives encircles his left leg and a wicked looking short sword hangs over his left shoulder.

Other Info: Ardu is an excellent knife thrower, but prefers wielding his short sword. He is also a proficient hunter.

---------- Post added 07-30-2012 at 11:17 PM ----------

Profile Skeleton

Username: Squall Ravenhart

Name: Amaea SkySong

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Race: Lysar (winged people)

Personality: Amaea loves nature and is quite content to just sit in a tree with her thoughts. She is extremely shy and nervous around strangers. She is fiercely loyal and won't hesitate to help her friends. She is also a bit of a daydreamer with an overactive imagination. However she does tend to whine a bit when she's tired or upset.

Description (written only): Amaea is tall for her age and too thin. She has large white feathered wings and golden hair down to her waist. She wears a green ribbon to keep it out of the way. Her face is fine boned and delicate with large tri-colour eyes. Light blue in the center, with an inner circle of leaf green surrounded by bright yellow. Her nose is small and slightly upturned at the end. She wears a long grey tunic and brown leggings. Amaea prefers to go barefoot.

Other Info: Amaea lives by herself in the forest. Her parents and little brother were all killed by bounty hunters. Amaea's wings are strong enough to break a man's arm, but she can't fly indefinitely or carry heavy loads.

---------- Post added 07-30-2012 at 11:23 PM ----------

Profile Skeleton

Username: HelloDancer

Name: Katrina Beauregard

Age: 20

Gender: Female

Race: Human (Bounty Hunter)

Personality: Katrina always wears a poker face. One can never tell what she is thinking. She is usually found staring off into space and looking tired. Despite her lack of social skills, she does have friends, though. She cares for the people she is close to and hates just about everyone else.

Description (written only): While Katrina is a fairly young adult, she usually looks much older. She is rather tall for a woman, but proportionally sized. Her skin is a light tan color and appears to be fairly worn. Katrina has shoulder-length bright blonde straight hair that never suites the dusty brown and grey clothes she always wears. Her eyes are a dark blue color and her cheeks are spotted with some light freckles.

Other Info: Katrina loves pretty things.

---------- Post added 07-30-2012 at 11:24 PM ----------

Profile Skeleton

Username: HelloDancer

Name: Adanessa Valentine (Addy)

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Race: Elven/Human (Mix)

Personality: Addy has always been very clumsy since she was a child. Being half elf had always made her a bit of an outcast, so she is very used to being by herself. She is easy to entertain or amaze and can find something good in anything. She comes off a bit stupid to others at first glance, but Addy is very intelligent.

Description (written only): Addy is a mixture of Elven and Human qualities, though she does come off more as a human. Her ears only slightly elongate out to poke past her waist-length wild curly brown hair. She is usually found wearing her favorite evergreen knee-length dress with a popping blue stone necklace on her short, petite body. Her eyes are really the only thing that reveals her elven identity, being that they are a pale white- absent of all color.

Other Info: Adanessa is a beautiful singer.

Profile Skeleton

Username: Jyunnishi

Name: Nadia

Age: 18

Gender:Female

Race: unknown

Personality: Very shy,quiet,reserved. Sometimes has outbursts where she's out spoken,but immediately takes it back. Gives off the feeling that she's always anxious.

Description: Dark brown hair to the middle of her back. Chocolate brown eyes. Height is about 5'5" to 5'6". She dons an old washed out dress that's slightly eaten through by moths and a bit too big. (no where that's revealing) A dark bruise on her left cheek along with a harsh scar down her entire right arm that's healing. She is some what ashen with a slight rosy colour in her cheeks. Frail looking from lack of nutrition.

Other Info: She uses the energy in her body to move things and morph them.Her parents were killed when she was ten and she has been fighting to stay under the radar from King Lanius' rage. She has very little control over what she does and it makes her weak quite often. She frequently passes out because when she does put her "power" to use she can only do it for two minutes at a time and then becomes vulnerable. Though she is considered strong, she is weak because of this fact. She refers to this power as a curse, because it is the reason her parents are dead. As a child she would play with these powers and turn water to ice, move things around and various other activities. When she was caught one day her parents tried to save her and died in the process of her getting away.

Profile Skeleton

Username: Kaylee Knight

Name: Samantha "Sam"

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Personality: Though she is kind, pretty and intelligent Samantha is not your average princess. Like her father she is very strong willed and this can make her stubborn and hot-headed though she is not always as brave as she makes out to be. Samantha is quite athletic and hates doing the princess thing. She also hates being referred to as Samantha (which her father insists on calling her) and prefers Sam.

Description (written only): Samantha has long, straight red hair and emerald green eyes. She has a tall, slender figure and her skin is slightly tanned. Samantha has the obvious dresses and gowns of a princess but prefers to just be dressed in her brown tunic, green leggings and long brown boots. Samantha can usually been seen wearing a brown leather belt with a pouch and a dagger sheathe.

Other Info: Like her father Samantha spends a lot of her time in the library but secretly she would rather learn sword fighting techniques. Samantha can be very protective of her younger brothers

Profile Skeleton

Username: iDinosaurKid

Name: Phoenix (Nickname: Nix)

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Personality: A very stubborn and sometimes disobedient young man, Phoenix is definitely not one of his father’s favourite sons. He is sensitive and caring towards some but it takes a lot for him to like you. He feels very miserable and feels responsible when his elder brother blames him for his mother’s death and wishes that he could’ve died instead of her so she’d still be alive rather than it being vice versa. Jealousy mostly makes up this boy, and he is often a rebel. He doesn’t like his father because he feels restricted and controlled under him and feels he cannot be and do the things he wants to do. His main fear is to fall in love. He doesn’t feel like anybody can understand him and it drives him crazy if somebody disobeys him. The main thing that he wants out of everything in the world is to be free.

Description (written only): Phoenix has light brown short to medium length hair cut in a fashionable choppy hairstyle. His hair looks golden brown in the sun and his fringe is slightly long and sometimes falls into his eyes. His eyes are a reddish-brown colour with flecks of indigo. He walks in a bold and confident manner and is seen by others as strong and determined, but inside he is not so confident and bold but rather insecure and anxious. Ruling the kingdom or one day becoming heir to the throne doesn’t interest him much as it does to his elder brother.

Other Info: He enjoys archery and hunting (animals), and he holds many hobbies including horse riding, sword fighting and chess. He wears a white long sleeved shirt with a black jumper on top, with dark black or sometimes dark grey trousers and black or brown buckled boots. He has a pet dog (Jack Russell Terrier) called Chivas and he loves her very much and she accompanies him on his many hunting trips very regularly. He likes being the centre of attention and can be selfish. If he’s threatened, he will become very very deadly.

Profile Skeleton

Username: Tany

Name: Joan Ar-rīon

Age: 31 years

Gender: Female

Race: Half elf

Personality: It's always been a preference of hers to keep to herself. There's a creepy, mysterious aura that hovers around her like a storm cloud. She always manages to look calm, even in the most trying situations.

Description (written only): She has very pale skin and red hair, done up into one thick braid that's braided in fours (a quad braid). Her eyes are a cloudy green that often seem unfocused and cold. Her ears have a rounded point, showing her elven blood.

Other Info: She used to be one of the court musicians. Luckily, she wasn't known so well that anyone noticed when she disappeared. It was good that she left too. About a week later from the time she left, they did a "sweep" of the castle to kill any non-humans.

Here is our OOC thread The beginning of the end OOC

The palace library is a large comfortable room, filled with ancient floor to ceiling bookshelves.
A roaring fire crackled merrily all year round in the huge stone hearth, filling the room with a pleasant heat.
Lush carpets and rugs muffled the footfalls, words were spoken in hushed tones.
King Lanius, his golden circlet placed absently on the mahogany side table, sat in his personal velvet covered easy chair leisurely perusing an old leather bound book.
This was his favourite room in the whole palace. The musty smell of books and the soothing semi-gloom thrown by the heavy closed drapes never failed to fill him with a sense of well-being and relaxation.
A significant cough brought him back out of the book and Lanius glanced up irritably, his pale eyes flashing at the interruption.
The owner of the cough was a short, twig-thin man dressed in a blue brocaded uniform who looked as though he could be blown over with a single breath. He was Pellivar Varl, Lanius's Lord Chamberlain.
With a heavy sigh the King carefully placed the book on the side table, at the same time picking up his crown and placing it back over his red shot grey and white hair. Only when it was sitting comfortably did he turn back to watch the man impassively.
Bowing deeply, Pellivar cleared his throat again. "Your Majesty, there are some bounty hunters awaiting your pleasure in the Throne Room".
Anger flashed like lightning through Lanius. Bounty hunters could mean only one thing.
Roughly suppressing the feelings that raged within him, the King made sure nothing showed on his face before nodding to the Chamberlain. "Summon my children Pellivar. I will be along shortly".
Hands twitching at the edges of the long coat, the Chamberlain bowed again before backing respectfully out of the King's line of sight.
Lanius sat a moment longer in his comfortable chair, before levering himself out of it. His bones creaked, not painfully, just from sitting still for so long.
He tugged at his royal blue coat, absently traced the silver embroidery on his sleeves, but Lanius knew he was only stalling for time. Time to get his anger back under control.
Taking a few calming breathes, he slowly began to make his way to the Throne Room. Alone for now, but he knew that wouldn't be the case for long. After all, he was the King.

---------- Post added 08-06-2012 at 11:14 AM ----------

Ardu gently ran his black clad fingers over a couple of bent blades of grass.
Someone, or something, had been here not moments ago.
Straightening silently his brown, almost black, eyes swept the area professionally. Nothing else seemed out of place, but that didn't mean much. The sort of things he hunted didn't always leave a trail.
The forest was silent, strange. Usually there were all manner of birds calling out their territory or for mates.
Even the wind had ceased, the stillness becoming almost claustrophobic.
Ardu's mouth curled up at the corners in an unpleasant smile, with the scar pulling one side up even further the effect was truly horrific.
Quietly easing his throwing knives Ardu deliberately avoided looking up into the trees. He was being watched.
Casually he pulled one out, began flipping it in the air catching it every time between gloved fingertips by the point. The other hand tugged the brim of his hat lower whilst beneath his eyes darted unseen, scanning the lower branches.
Ah there! Something was lying flat against that particularly flimsy looking branch just a few feet above Ardu's head.
Still tossing the knife as though he had not a care in the world, the bounty hunter studied the shape thoughtfully. It could be the same creature he had been hunting for the past week, but seriously he doubted it.
His original prey would have had no need to climb a tree to avoid him. This then was something else. But what?
Ardu considered his options, he could just attack it and hope it wasn't anything armored (doubtful because all the armored creatures tended to be too heavy for trees) or he could hang back, wait for it to reveal itself, then make his choice.
Slowly he began to walk away, still nonchalantly tossing the knife, catching it, tossing it again. A sliver of movement caught his eye and Ardu reacted instantly. The knife left his hand, faster than the eye could see, like a streak of silver it flew and landed with a dull squishy noise, followed by a startled cry of pain and a thump.
Ardu ran towards the sound, one hand clutching his hat the other already pulling out another knife.
His breath caught in his throat when he saw the target.
A vague humanoid shape disturbed last years autumn leaves, covering them in a slow growing pool of blood.
The short sword slid smoothly from the sheath on Ardu's back as he approached the creature a little cautiously.
He knew what it was now, simply from the fact that it had taken on the camouflage of the leaf litter. It was a Chameleon, not the true name of the species but bounty hunter slang. Named for their camouflage abilities.
Unfortunately, it wasn't his original quarry.
It seemed to be whimpering almost silently, Ardu had to strain his ears to hear anything at all.
With the ease of long practice, he shoved the knife back in a sheath and reached into a pocket for some heavy rope.
The Chameleon was young, maybe only ten years if that. The dagger appeared to be stuck in it's shoulder, the coppery tang in the back of Ardu's mouth tasted unpleasant but he could ignore that.
Roughly he pulled the knife out of it's shoulder taking no notice of it's cries.
Grabbing it's arms he pulled it so the thing had to face him. It seemed stupefied with terror, which was fine by him. Anything to stop it squirming whilst he tied the thick rope round it's wrists.
It wasn't until he'd finished that he noticed it had fainted. He shrugged, oh well just made his job easier.
Reaching again into a large pocket, Ardu pulled out a couple of grubby bandages and proceeded to bind the knife wound. He wasn't being kind so much as pragmatic. A live creature was worth a lot more to the King than a dead one.

---------- Post added 08-06-2012 at 11:16 AM ----------

Amaea hugged the trunk of the tree, her heart felt like it was trying to beat it's way out of her chest.
The bark was rough and scratchy against her cheek, her tri-colour eyes squeezed tightly shut.
She could barely hear the soft tread of the bounty hunter as he moved far below her.
Her white feathered wings folded over her slight frame, encasing Amaea even tighter in a protective cocoon. All she could hear now was the soft, almost silent, ruffling of feathers.
For what felt like hours, Amaea crouched there her knees pulled up to her chest occasionally stifling a sob or a whimper. If she made any noise, any at all, he would find her.
He had been hunting her (like an animal!) for three days now and she was tired, so so tired. Fear alone kept the winged girl awake and clinging to the tree.
As the birds slowly began to sing again, Amaea opened one teary eye cautiously. Was he gone? Had he, lost her? Am I safe? she thought tentatively, almost afraid her very thoughts would be too loud.
A bird burst out of the leaves above her startling Amaea so much she let out a shriek, shoving herself desperately away from the trunk she lifted her wings and pushed. Her feet left the branch and she flew, fueled by terror and the tension of three days on the run Amaea didn't care where she was flying to so long as it was away from here.

Samantha lay on the lush, grassy hill just outside of her grand home. Her eyes were closed feeling the warm sun on her skin and the gentle breeze that occasionally swept up her long red hair. As the princess, time to herself came few and far between so she was determined to enjoy every moment. Away from her responsibilities, away from the stress and away from her family! Samantha let out a long contented sigh, then she screwed up her eyes, clenched her fists and sat bolt upright.
"I'm bored!" she shouted to the world.
Samantha sighed again and flopped back down onto the grass staring up at the sky. Her emerald green eyes sparkling in the sunlight. Her ears pricked up at the sound of footsteps approaching. She sat up again, her senses on high alert, no-one knew she was out here, she wasn't even supposed to be out here! If she got caught she would be in so much trouble! Her father didn't like her going out by herself.
Pellivar Varl, her father's Lord Chamberlain approached with a serious look on his face.
"Young Samantha, your father requests your presence in the library."
Samantha cringed, for one she hated being called Samantha. All of her friends (what few friends she had) called her Sam or Sammie, only her father and his staff referred to her as Samantha, and two she was afraid Pellivar would turn her in to her Dad.
"D-did he say what he wanted?" she asked nervously.
"Only that he needs to see you right away." his gaze suddenly turned a little softer. "Don't worry Princess, I won't say anything."
Samantha gave a little smile. She took a deep breath, time to face her father.

The dark haired man coolly dispatched another one of his opponents with a disdainful sneer. Challengingly Casimir lifted brown eyes to peer at the surrounding guards and the courtiers come to watch the prince practice his weapons craft. Fools, the lot of them! Letting his father put his eldest sister upon the throne in his stead ... Once the throne was his, then they would all see. Though being fools, it would have to be a punishment they understood. A yes, taking away some of their lands and handing them over to the peasants.

The peasants had minds of their own filled with more practical thoughts then that of nearly any noble he'd ever met. Take the simpering ladies of the court for example, doing all they could to snare a prince. Hearing a familiar voice making a rude sound to gain his attention, the tall man turned. "What is it Chamberlain?"

"Your father wishes his children to meet in the library, Prince Casimir."

After that the man scuttled off, leaving Casimir in a disgruntle mood. The sound of metal sliding against leather rang trough the air as the sword was rammed home angrily. Now what? Quickly the prince moved from the training grounds, where he felt most at home, and into the cool halls of the palace. Soon he was in the throne room, staring hungrily at the seat at the head of the hall. He moved arrogantly passed the bounty hunters, tugging a little at his crimson vest, before finding his way to the library as his father wanted. He didn't know if any of his other siblings where there yet, and rather hoped they weren't as he stepped into the musty room.

Nadia, face dirty and dress partially eaten through, coughed dryly as she shuffled down the dirt road slowly. She wasn't headed anywhere important or from anything dangerous. She was just going on about her business as she always had. She held her head up to the sky,shielding her eyes from the sun's harsh rays and contemplated stopping here for the day,but decided against it and told herself a little farther. Farther....farther....farther. The frail girl sighed deeply wondering how much farther was actually farther. She glared at the dirt it was hot on her feet and she had blisters.

As she kept moving she heard the sound of a creek nearby, not able to help herself she moved to the sound involuntarily. The sight of the bright fresh water made her fall to her knees and dip her entire head in at first. She drunk until her hearts content and sighed."Great." She held her stomach from the pain. She'd drunk too much. Nadia turned her head back up to the sky and decided maybe she should stay here until the next day. She set up a small bed made from random leaves so she could sleep somewhat comfortably near the water.

She sat by the water and watched as the sunlight danced and played on the surface only being disturbed only so often by a fish catching a bug for it's meal. She considered using her curse to catch a fish,but decided it probably wasn't the best idea or even worth it. She held her stomach at the sound of it's protest."Tomorrow will be better." She said these words to herself remembering the what her father used to say. Her eyelashes fluttered closed as she gave a big yawn and began to drift off into sleep.

Sprawled out on his king size californian bed, Phoenix was day dreaming. His little dog Chivas had her tiny head on his chest, asleep. There was no sound coming from his room except the sound of the dog's tiny snores, which was barely audible. The young prince looked up at his ornate ceiling above him, with it's embossed white swirly shapes and patterns and thought about what the servants would prepare for his lunch. He was hungry and when he got hungry, he got cranky, the night before he had skipped dinner but during the night he had badly regretted doing so. He was also looking forward to hunting some new livestock, he had heard news that the forest had been recently thriving with all kinds of creatures, especially wild birds and deer, he knew Chivas would love to join him and he smiled to himself. The boy turned his attention to his open window, pearl white drapery curtains held back by elegant baby blue tiebacks. He lifted his eyes to the sky outside and he saw there was not one cloud in sight, it was a blissfully pleasant and warm day, what he loved best. There were birds singing and the sun was glowing, he felt cheerful and grinned to himself.

Suddenly, there was a sound of very very faint footsteps and he perched up, ready to see who it was. Carefully lifting the sleeping dog and laying her on his bed, he readily stood up and waited. The boy had remarkable hearing and he always took this ability to his advantage, it proved to be very useful in hunting and meant he ultimately had the first hand advantage to catching any animal in hearing range. The boy's sight was also sharp and clear and could see from miles ahead.
A swift knock on his black wooden mahogany door made his eyes flicker to the door, it was unlocked, like normal. He never kept it locked. He frequently snuck out during the night to go outside and if he locked it then it would made noise trying to unlock the door and possibly alert some nosy servants and make them tell his father, and that's the last thing he wanted. He had taken a little too long to answer the knock and the person behind the door, knocked three more times, this time impatiently. He scowled and marched towards the unlocked door and grabbed the doorknob, opening it. It was his father's Lord Chamberlain. He didn't know this man too well and he barely remembered his name, but that didn't matter. He swallowed a little nervously, "What is it?"he spoke, in a slightly deep voice, slightly irritated by the man's impatience. Pellivar Varl, the Lord Chamberlain cleared his throat, "Young master, His Royal Highness has ordered me to appoint his children to the library, he has important things to announce and wants the three of you to be there".

Phoenix considers what is being said to him and nods slowly, "I'll be there", he replies slowly. Pellivar bowed down quickly, and left. The prince glances back at his dog, still asleep and leaves after him.

King Lanius heard the door of the library open, but didn't bother turning, not yet.
As a father, he knew it was terrible to feel disappointment in his children but he did. Samantha, his Heir was not as a Princess should be, she had no interest in embroidery or anything else a lady should. Casimir wanted the throne for himself and was arrogant besides. And Phoenix..... Well he knew it wasn't really the boys fault Queen Anaís was dead, but it was so difficult to remember that when he was her spitting image.
Finally with a heavy sigh Lanius turned to see Casimir.
The black haired young man didn't share many looks with his father, he seemed to take more after his grandfather.
Silence filled the library, the only sound the crackling of the fire.
Lanius spoke, more to fill the quiet than anything else.
"How is your sword practice Casimir?" Lanius had no intention of discussing why he had summoned his children, not until Samantha and Phoenix finally arrived anyway.

A long light gray dress gently brushed against the matted dirt road. Her pale hands were holding bundles wrapped in a dusty cloth. Judging by the smell and warmth of them, they were bread. Joan surveyed the edges of the street on which she purposefully strode. Not that there was anywhere to hide. Where she was, it was only a small cluster of abandoned houses surrounded by the countryside. She looked up once again as she hurriedly made her way around the corner of an old structure built of rusty mud-colored brick. This street she was on was only swept by the feet of rats.

As a passing breeze ruffled the loose strands of her red hair, she lifted her skirts and made her way up the steps and stooped by the door. In a quiet and unintentionally honeyed voice, she whispered something. Then she slipped the few loaves she had with her through the door into outstretched hands. With that she silently made her long way back onto the main dirt road.

She didn’t have anything to worry about. These were the very outskirts of the city so there were very few (if any!) guards. Just in case, a thick wool headband with a woolen flower on one side covered the top parts of her ears. Anyone would’ve thought it was nothing but a fashion statement. Besides, the color matched her dress.

Her eyes remained firmly focused on the ground until she reached the familiar stone bridge that stretched the road over a stream. There she stopped to sit down to rest.

Samantha stopped outside the to the library, her hand hovering over the handle as she hesitated to open it. She let out a big sigh. Whenever she was 'summoned' by the king it always ended up in a full blown argument between them. She loved her father, of course she did but since her mother had died they hadn't seen eye to eye. Maybe they never had, Samantha couldn't really remember. She took her position as Heir To The Throne very seriously but she wanted to learn how to rule the kingdom, not sit in a room surrounded by protectors when it was the people that needed protecting.
Samantha shook her head, "Stop worrying Sam, you're being stupid!"
After giving herself a pep talk she ran her fingers through her red hair, quickly removing the long strand of grass, and entered the room.
She walked over to her father and gently kissed him on the cheek
"Hi Daddy. " she greeted her father softly.
Samantha noticed one of her brothers was also there. She moved over to stand by him. Now he was a family member she definitely didn't get on with
"Hello Casimir." she said flatly, not looking at him, "How are you?"

Phoenix walked along the long wide carpeted corridor to the library, with his arms hanging by his side. He was curious in knowing what his father wanted to tell them all, and if it involved him in a way. He grew a little uneasy about the thought of his father possibly knowing about him sneaking out at midnights. He stiffened a little and clenched his fists, what could his father do anyway? he thought to himself.
Even though he felt uneasy and nervous, he wasn't supposed to show the world how he felt, or anybody in the palace for that matter. He had trained himself to never give or show any weak emotions, it could badly ruin how the people of his father's kingdom viewed him and it could mean that when he did finally become king, it would give the people a negative image of him and view him as a weak king; which he clearly wasn't.

As he was nearing the entrance to the grand library, he took a big breath and bit his lip. Then, fixing his hair and straightening his clothes, he pushed the door open and entered. Inside, his father King Lanius sat on his throne with his golden circlet fixed on his head, beside him sat his two other siblings: Samantha and Casimir. He took a step towards them, but wanting to keep his distance from his elder brother Casimir. The older boy held a genuine grudge against his younger brother as their mother had died giving birth to the younger sibling. He reached his siblings and took a seat beside his eldest sister, Samantha. Phoenix avoided looking at Casimir, fearing he may be angry at him and he too also focused on his father, and waited for what the king had to say.

Nadia tossed in her sleep,stirring the leaves about her. Her face was full of distress as she dreamed about the previous attacks she'd been involved in. Only this time she wasn't escaping so easily. The palace guard came closer to her,his face shadowed by his helmet and his steps seeming to shake the earth beneath them. He raised his baton above her head, but before she could feel the impact of the wooden stick on the back of her neck she surged awake, breathless and exhausted.The small female's eyes fluttered open as she came to and realized where she was at.

"Just a dream" She expelled the air that was caught in her chest and stretched. Nadia extended her digits to her hair to shake the foliage away. "What day is it?" She looked to the sky and shielded her eyes from the sun. She'd only been asleep for thirty minutes. A sigh of annoyance went through her body and she stood to her feet and wiped the mess of leaves and dirt from her dress. " I guess I'll go on ahead." She bent over and took another drink of water from the creak to cure her of her cotton mouth.

As she shuffled back over to the dirt road, without much motivation, her mind began to wander to various places. Like where she'd been, what she'd seen, who she'd met. She began to drift away from her thoughts and back to reality becoming aware that the dirt road had became pavement. She looked upon a sign she'd come across. Though the lines on the wood were just squiggles she knew a town was near, she didn't have to know how to read to see that and what way an arrow pointed. A twitch at the corner of her lips turned her mouth into a small smile as she moved to the right toward her newly found destination. Nadia kept walking for about thirty minutes, seeing a small flag every now and then that she assumed to let her know she was still heading the right way, until she came to a large gate that shot straight into the sky. She gawked up at it in amazement never in her life had she seen anything so grand.

Her astonishment was soon ruined by two palace guards who stood erect and at attention on either side of the gate. She took a deep breath and kept her eyes on the ground as she shuffled pass them. She knew she looked human,but she still had anxiety about trying to blend in. She kept moving inside the great gate, not breathing until she made it to the fifth shop inside the structure. Nadia clenched at her chest. She knew where she was and didn't need to ask. " Th-th-the Imperial City." She felt like she would vomit,but luckily her stomach was empty. Nadia looked around nervously as she moved away into an alley way.

Lanius kept his face impassive when Phoenix entered the library.
Whenever he saw his youngest son emotions filled him. The boy looked too much like his mother and Lanius had always found it difficult to be around him for long without the raw wound caused by her death reopening.
Only when he was sure his feelings were back under control did he feel able to speak. He was sure they would be curious as to why he had summoned them here.
"There are some bounty hunters in the Throne Room" Lanius said bluntly. "I'm sure you will have seen them?"
He didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "In the past, all three of you have managed to avoid the Throne Room on those occasions despite orders that you attend. Well from today onward I will be assigning each of you a chaperone to make sure you are where I want you to be."
He took a deep breath before fixing each of his wayward children with a sharp blue gaze.
"If I hear you've given them any trouble you will answer to me. Now any questions?"

Samantha's heart sank! A chaperone?! She couldn't believe her own father would just take away her freedom like that. He might as well be locking all three of them up a dungeon! She wanted to scream at him, it wasn't fair! She wasn't a kid anymore and she was sick of being treated like one. To top it all off he was going to make her stand in the same room as those awful bounty hunters.
Sam had been frightened of the bounty hunters since she was little and one had accidentally mistaken her for their pray. She had told her father about it but, since she hadn't been hurt, he had thought it was nothing but his young daughter making up stories.
Now her father was going to make her face her biggest fear. Sam wanted to cry!
She took a deep breath and fought back the tears, Sam hated getting over emotional, especially in front of her father and brothers. It made her feel like a child again. It made her feel weak.
After composing herself Sam was the first of her siblings to speak.
"Daddy, you can't do this!"

Lanius looked surprised at his daughter's outburst.
He frowned. "Samantha if I can't trust my own children to follow their King's orders, then how can I believe a kingdom will? I've let you three get away with far too much already and it's about time I put a stop to it".
He took a deep breath, trying to control the first stirrings of temper. He'd never fully given in to it when it came to his children, not that often anyway, and he'd be damned if he let it get the better of him now!
"Samantha, Lady Adeline is the perfect companion for you. Maybe she'll even be a good influence on you".

---------- Post added 08-14-2012 at 08:42 PM ----------

Panting Amaea sat at the base of a tree, her knees drawn up to her chest, sobbing quietly.
Her wings and shoulders ached, she knew she'd flown for too long but she was so frightened.
Gradually Amaea's tears lessened, finally stopping altogether bar the occasional sniff.
The rough bark against her back scratched through the thin fabric of her grey tunic.
Rubbing the backs of her hands across her eyes dashed the last of the tears away.
Amaea sighed quietly.
"I'm so tired of being afraid" she whispered to herself. "What's wrong with me? I just want to be left alone".
Her throat felt dry and sore with all the crying she'd done.
I'm so thirsty, she thought tiredly.
Looking around Amaea sniffed woefully, feeling quite sorry for herself.
Then, with a heavy sigh she stood up and began to walk. She vaguely recognized where she was, that clump of merryweather was too large to be entirely natural, and if she was right there was a lovely cool river under a stone bridge not too far.
Even though there were some houses fairly close to it Amaea was pretty certain they were abandoned.
Anyway she was too thirsty and that was the best source of water she could walk to. Flying was a no-no, her wings needed time to recover.

"I'm sorry I'm not the perfect princess, Your Majesty!" Sam spat. Her eyes filled with tears of anger, she was losing the battle to hold them back. "I do not need a 'companion' telling me where to go or how to dress! I'm not a child anymore, Daddy! I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I will have to when I one day become Queen, so why don't you trust me?! Why don't you trust US?!"
Sam sniffled, trying to control her temper. It was happening again, she was getting into a shouting match with her father. It happened every time they had one of their royal 'family meetings'.
She turned to her brothers, "Please, help me. Back me up on this."

He watched impassively as more of his siblings arrived. It was rude of him to ignore his father's words he knew, but considering he preferred to put his eldest sister upon the throne, he felt himself in the right of things. That was after all how things were done in other kingdoms. The throne went to the eldest male heir, not simply the eldest. But of course Father had to hold on to this tiny difference in comparison to all the other realms!

Lifting his chin up, Casimir gritted his teeth and tried not to let his irritation show. Brown eyes filled with silent sneering amusement as his sister and father began to argue. Perhaps the old man would finally come to agree with him if that sister of his kept up her wayward ways. Not to say that Casimir wasn't as rambunctious or wayward, only that he tended to hide it better, or had thought so.

At his father's announcement, the young man simply shrugged. It was easy to ignore Sam's pleas, since he thought he would get along famously with the bounty hunters. "I see no need to contradict Father in this."

There was no one in sight on the road and, feeling confident that she was alone, Joan brushed the skirt of her dress off and stood up. Her empty green eyes scanned their surroundings anyway. Most likely, she was trying to think of what to do next. Normally she'd consider going to the imperial city - she never caused any trouble with her ears hidden. However, she'd heard of the new bounty hunters in the city. There was even a rumor that the king had personally called them. Why exactly, she didn't know, but she figured it would be best to stay away for now.

Her lips tightened and a thin, grim smile formed across her pale face. Maybe they're doing another sweep of the palace... The old man probably missed some people anyway the first time.

In an instant, her gaze flickered up to the thick woods on one side of the path. There was something moving through the trees. A deer...? Her pointed chin raised as she stared into the line of trees. "Who goes there?"

A chaperone... Phoenix held his breath as the words echoed in his head. If he had a chaperone following him around, marking his every move it would mean he wouldn't be able to sneak out at nights, go hunting whenever he felt like it or climb into the palace gardens for some peace and quiet in the early mornings.
He wouldn't be free at all but constantly controlled. The one thing he hated most, being controlled was soon to become a reality.

He thought about the bounty hunters. He had never seen them in all his life, even though he had desperately wanted to and had tried to get even a small glance of them on many occasions but he had never succeeded in doing so.
His sister was complaining about their father's decision and Phoenix joined in with her.
"Father, I do not believe that is a good idea. We are all a family and we should not have to deal with restrictions put on us, besides all three of us are adults and are capable of controlling ourselves and our own actions".As he said it, he looked deep in his father's eyes, focusing on his pupils."If you could reconsider this, we would be very grateful". Out of everybody, he was probably the only one who could talk his father out of things, it was another little skill he had acquired when growing up. He knew his father found it hard to reject him because of his undeniably similar features to his late mother, Queen Anais. Out of all their physical charecteristics they had shared, the eyes were the most similar. Phoenix had the same magical shimmering reddish-brown eyes with flecks of indigo.
He threw a glance at Casimir, who didn't at all seem to have a care in the world about having a chaperone and Phoenix frowned at his brother's indiference to the matter.

Hmph, he thought to himself.

Sam wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at Phoenix. At last a member of her family was making sense. With her youngest brother now speaking out their father might listen. She knew her emotional outburst hadn't helped the situation and she hadn't expected Casimir to back her up.
She thought of what her life would be like with a chaperone constantly at her side, judging her, telling her what to do, where to go and how to act. Sam knew she had never been the Princess her father expected of her. The thought of it hurt her a lot but she just couldn't be that person.
Sam took a deep breath and brought herself back to the situation at hand. She had to calm her temper, shouting wouldn't help and she had to stand strong with her little brother. He had put himself into their fathers firing line along with her and she wasn't going to let Phoenix stand alone.

Nadia placed herself on the dirty wet ground of the alley way. She wiped her palms on the front of her dress to get rid of the muck that was infesting them. She looked around her and sighed. "Now I've done it." in all the places s he went in the world how'd she get to the one she'd been avoiding for so long. She wanted to cry, but didn't. She'd been through too much just to tear up over one little mistake. No matter how safe she'd been. She pinched the bridge of her nose to try to keep the tears from coming. "Tomorrow will be better.Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow will be better." She repeated the words over and over. "Daddy,what do I do now?" She sighed knowing she'd get no answer and hugged her knees to her chest. Her eyes fixated on the beetle that was crawling past. She brought her foot down on it and squished it easily. Listening to the crunching sound it made under the weight of her foot.

That's how she felt. Like some bug under the scope of the king. Disgusting and easily eliminated. She scrubbed her foot clean of the bugs innards from the bottom of her foot against the cobble stone. She'd let the air that was caught in her chest out and looked to the right where the alley let out into the bustling city streets. She stood erect and moved into the sunlight keeping her head down. She had to find somewhere to get clean and find some course of action. sHe couldn't just wander around forever with no plans.

A voice calling brought Amaea out of her own thoughts with a flash of terror.
Her head shot up, eyes searching frantically for the person.
She stood stock still, not even daring to breathe. It wasn't fair! She was so close, she could hear the soothing song of the water. She was so thirsty, but if someone had seen her?
Tears filled Amaea's eyes, she didn't dare brush them away.
After a moment of silence she slowly crept to the very edge of the treeline, barely noticing the twigs and old leaf litter digging into her bare feet.
Her heart pounded painfully, but Amaea screwed up the tiny amount of courage she had and peeked cautiously round a tree.
Yes, there was the bridge and oh! The river! She yearned to just run towards it, lose herself in that cold sweet water.
At almost the same moment as she spotted the river, Amaea noticed a girl watching the trees.
The winged girl looked at her curiously. She hadn't spent much time around humans, most of her life had been spent running away from them.
The girl didn't seem much different from Amaea herself, albeit without the wings and a bit older than Amaea's fifteen years.
She shivered and shrank further back behind the tree, still careful to keep an eye on the red haired human.

It wasn't any animal. The fact that the form didn't make a beeline back into the forest confirmed Joan's suspicions. She'd found that at the sound of someone's voice, animals usually ran off. It was natural for wild animals to be wary of people, having the everlasting fear of being hunted. What annoyed Joan the most was that they weren't very different from her in that sense.

Her heartbeat picked up pace as she felt something like fear rising her chest...then died down as her mind drifted to the linen covering her ears. She wasn't a target.

Her green eyes narrowed as the person only tried to shrink further back into the darkness of the forest. Why were they trying to hide if...?

There was a soft gust of wind that swept into the forest, rustling the treetops and the white feathers on the newcomer. Out of habit, Joan felt the tension that had gathered up in her shoulders slowly settle. Well, that was why they were hiding.

After a quick scan of the road and surrounding area again, her pale hands moved to pull the headband back and uncover her pointed ears. When she called out again, her voice was softer. "You don't have to hide anymore. I can see you."

When Phoenix looked at Lanius with Anaís' eyes, the King always found it hard to deny him anything. He gritted his teeth and firmly drew his gaze away, settling instead on Samantha.
She looked upset, Lanius felt guilt settle in his stomach. It seemed every time they spoke it always turned into some kind of argument.
At least Casimir had accepted it, for once the King and his son agreed on something.
When Phoenix had made his plea Lanius was silent for a moment.
Finally he spoke in slow, measured tones. "My decision stands. But" he added deliberately, "I will impose a time limit and, if within that limit you have all attended what I want you to, I will dismiss the need for chaperones".
Smoothing his coat Lanius looked at each of his children in turn, waiting to hear their responses.

Amaea quivered when the human spoke again. Surely she couldn't see her really?
Peeking back round the trunk of the tree, she saw the girl had removed her headband to reveal pointed ears!
Amaea stared. She wasn't a human!
Her heart beat faster as Amaea cautiously looked around, making sure they were truly alone before carefully stepping out of the treeline.
Her wings almost shook with fear, but her legs managed to remain steady as she picked her way over.
Clutching the hem of her long grey tunic she finally stopped several feet away from the other girl. Close enough to talk, but far enough to escape if she needed to.
A stray gust of wind tugged at her long golden hair, so Amaea released one hand from her hem and pulled the ribbon bound locks over one shoulder, gripping it tightly.
She didn't dare look up at the stranger, so stared mutely at her bare feet instead.
They appeared to be rather dirty and dusty.

With a slightly relieved look, Phoenix nodded in approval. "That sounds good father, thank you" he glanced sideways at his sister for a brief moment awaiting her response.
He had a nervous feeling that this time the king may not agree with changing his decision, but he had said he may and Phoenix felt content.
He gave his father a smug look and smiled pleasingly at him.